Turtle John's invites you to their restaurant. They are open after-hours all week and are conveniently reachable by car but also by public transit. Payments by American Express, MasterCard and Visa are recognized.
We had a very large group come in on Tuesday and Melissa was our server. She did an amazing job, going above and beyond to make sure we were happy. Best service ever, we will be back for sure.
My wife and I went here once when we moved to Port Hope from Toronto. The staff were snootier than the other patrons, and that's saying something. When we peeked in the window for take out a few years ago, the prices were ASTRONOMICAL. ($20+ for soup) I heard they do picnic lunches, which I wanted to have arranged for the weekend but when I looked them up online (in a hurry) their web site wasn't coming up on Google anymore. When I finally found a reference to it, the URL was down.
I live in Port Hope and go to Zest at least twice a week - I have never been disappointed in the food or service. The chef is amazing, and the staff are friendly and casual. True, the portions tend to be smaller than some but I'd rather have a small plate of Zest than a massive glob of mush some other places put in front of you. If you haven't been, you're missing something.
Since I live nearby, I decided to go for a stroll on this beautiful Spring afternoon and we ended up at Zest Bar and Bistro to have a bite to eat. The food is always very fresh here and you can tell the chef is passionate about what he does. The wait staff is very friendly and seem to know a lot of the patrons. They do tend to get busy quickly and sometimes it is difficult to get their attention when you want something, but that is the story at mealtime in any restaurant in North America, I think. I really like this place. It has a very artistic feel- but sometimes I would argue that it may be a little over-rated.
We have never been disappointed. There are other great restaurants in Port Hope, but we always end up choosing Zest. Lunch or dinner, the food is great, and the service has been excellent. The portions are small but the quality makes up for it. By the way, Zest has had the same staff for several years, so they are certainly doing something right.
Mind the winter hours - best call first.
Got there around 7 on a friday night for dinner. Large roudy crowd in the front of the bar, mostly just drinkers, and the service was very bussy looking after those. We di have reservation, but it took forever for service and even longer to get the food.
Found it very pricy for the the size of the portions.
This is the third time I have enjoyed a meal in this restaurant and am impressed each time I visit. I have told many friends about it and have had excellent comments back from them. I live halfway between Peterborough and Port Hope so have many options of places to dine. Zest is one of the top restaurants on my list.
the food was really good. It was a great little find for two guys on a motorcycle ride. THe menu was a bit eclectic, not what I would expect for a small town. THe food was fresh and very tasty.
